Church brings aid, hope to Tanganyika

Key points:

• In the Tanganyika region, The United Methodist Church and UMCOR have provided vital food and material assistance to 700 people affected by devastating floods and forced displacement.
• Local populations are facing a tragic convergence of climate disasters in Nyunzu and an influx of displaced people fleeing armed conflict in North and South Kivu, exacerbating food and health insecurity.
• Bishop Nelson Kalombo Ngoy calls on the international community to show solidarity in restoring the dignity of survivors and bringing about lasting change.

Ilunga Madeleine’s gaze tells a story of loss, but also of survival.

Like hundreds of other families in the Nyunzu territory, she saw raging floodwaters wash away her possessions and her hopes. Yet in December, within the walls of Nazareth Parish in Tanganyika, a feeling of deep gratitude took over.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency Bishop Nelson Kalombo Ngoy and UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee on Relief) for this wonderful initiative,” she said, her hands clasped around a relief kit. “I pray that God will bless them abundantly.”

The United Methodist Church provided humanitarian aid to flood victims and displaced people living in the Tanganyika region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ngoy, who was elected to the episcopacy by the Mid Africa Central Conference in July 2025, leads the new Tanganyika Episcopal Area.

In late December, a team from the United Methodist Committee on Relief Disaster Management Office in the episcopal area and Bishop Ngoy delivered emergency aid to more than 700 people affected by flooding in Nyunzu and visited thousands of internally displaced persons in Tanganyika for Christmas.

The emergency humanitarian response comes amid a “double crisis” affecting the Tanganyika region: Devastating floods in Nyunzu reduced homes and agricultural livelihoods to rubble; and the area has seen a massive influx of internally displaced persons who have fled armed violence in the provinces of North and South Kivu. Between submerged fields and homes abandoned in haste, The United Methodist Church has become a safety net for families caught between climate chaos and the ravages of war.

UMCOR, the humanitarian aid and development arm of The United Methodist Church, has disbursed emergency funds to purchase food and non-food items.

Richard Mushitu, the Tanganyika Episcopal Area’s Disaster Management coordinator, said assistance was provided to the most vulnerable households.

“We have helped 700 flood victims in Nyunzu,” he said, “alleviating their suffering by providing each household with a month’s worth of food aid and essential non-food items.”

Relief kits included rice, corn flour, cooking oil, beans, sugar, salt, plastic containers, soap and cloth.

Miridi Bernadette is a widow and mother of seven children. “We lost everything in the floods,” she recalled. “This aid has given us hope and courage.”

Moved to tears, Miridi summed up the community’s feelings with a heartfelt plea to the church leadership: “Do not tire of doing good.”

The intervention in Nyunzu was a prelude to a broader pastoral presence. Beyond material aid, Ngoy spent his Christmas season in the muddy camps for internally displaced people in Katanika, Mushaba and Eliya, near Kalemie, where more than 500 families — including United Methodists — live in dire conditions.

“I felt called to embody a ministry of compassion and presence,” Ngoy said. “Ministry is not limited to the pulpit but is lived out in places where people feel forgotten, voiceless and broken.”

Ngoy said his visit to the camps was motivated by his “love for Christ and deep concern for his neighbor, as commanded in Matthew 22:39: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

He said his visits revealed urgent challenges: hunger, lack of clean water, poor sanitation, inadequate shelter, disease outbreaks, lack of medical care and trauma. Ngoy donated a cow to each refugee camp, as well as food items and clothing.

Kasongo Jean is among the recipients of the church’s aid. “The displacement deprived us of our fields and our livelihoods, making it difficult to provide for our families,” Kasongo said.

“Farming was not only a source of food, but also a way of life, a rhythm that gave meaning to our daily lives. Without land to cultivate, I struggle to provide for my family, which makes us dependent on humanitarian aid and uncertain about the future.”

For women, abandoning everything and being displaced comes with particular burdens.

This is the case for Bibi Mujinga. She said that her life in the camp is no longer what it used to be. “Displacement has made life very difficult. I spend a lot of time looking for water and food, and I can no longer take care of my children properly as I did before,” Mujinga said. “The struggle to obtain basic necessities takes up all my time and energy.”

Mama Falu, another displaced woman living in the camp, said that women face difficulties related to the lack of adequate sanitation facilities and insecurity.

“Without adequate toilets, life is difficult and dangerous for women and children, and our privacy is compromised,” Falu said. “Children are often sick, and medicines are unavailable.”

Despite these difficulties, men and women find strength in faith and solidarity. “We support each other, participate in community work and encourage solidarity,” Kalenga Feruzi said.

Safi Davina agreed. “Prayer becomes a source of resilience, while solidarity among women creates a network of mutual support. Together, we encourage each other, share our burdens and nurture hope.”

Pascaline Mwamini said that the church must continue to support women and children in particular by providing humanitarian aid, health services and spiritual support.

“For women, the church’s commitment is not limited to material aid, but also aims to restore their dignity and offer them spiritual healing,” Mwamini said. “Its presence affirms their value and strengthens their determination to persevere.”

During his visit, Ngoy offered a message of hope.

“To the displaced families, I say: Even though this period seems dark, it will not last forever. God is faithful, and his light will shine again,” he said. “Together, we will rise up in solidarity, bringing compassion, practical support and lasting change. In our unity, may we reflect God’s eternal love and hope.

“Faith is not only a comfort; it is a necessity for survival,” he said. “It gives strength to mothers who travel long distances to obtain medical care, to children weakened by hunger and to families who mourn at anonymous graves.”

He said the crisis facing the region today exceeds the community’s capacity.

“We need the international community to accompany us and share our mission of saving lives and restoring dignity,” Ngoy said. “As an African proverb reminds us: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.’”

The bishop said that “only by moving forward together can we bring about lasting change, rooted in faith, compassion and justice.

“In serving vulnerable people, I have encountered the face of God in their suffering and resilience,” Ngoy said. “For me, this is the true meaning of Christmas: walking alongside the marginalized with love, mercy and hope.”

Mandandj is the communications officer for the Tanganyika Conference, and Chingwe is the communications officer for the Eastern Zimbabwe Conference.

News media contact: Julie Dwyer at newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.